Joe Budden Preps Sophomore Album For Spring Release

With his latest mixtape Mood Muzik 3 still scheduled for a retail release on February 26, New Jersey rapper Joe Budden has announced that he is partnering up with Boston-based indie label Amalgam Digital to release his official sophomore album Padded Room. Billboard.com has confirmed that Padded Room, Budden's first album since his 2003 self-titled debut, will be released some time this spring. "It's complete," Budden told Billboard. "It basically will be in the same vein as Mood Muzik, just a little more structure and the mood will probably be a little lighter. I'm definitely pleased with the direction that it's going."